Destiny: The Owens Chronicles, #2

By Amanda Lynn Petrin

Continue the adventure that launched the Giftedverse series with Destiny a supernatural coming-of-age novel from YA author Amanda Lynn Petrin.
 

Lucy Owens has been on the run since an ancient Prophecy sent an army of Gifted after her.

She knows it is only a matter of time before they find her, outnumbered and overpowered, but when she is attacked, Lucy unleashes dormant magic no one knew she possessed.

She flees to New Orleans with Embry and Gabriel, two Gifted sworn to protect her, and struggles to confront her guilt, face her fears, and keep her new friends safe. As the threats against them grow, Lucy must dig deep into the lives of her ancestors and master her untamed gift before Donovan finds them and completes his deadly quest.

Destiny is the second book in the complete Owens Chronicles trilogy by Amanda Lynn Petrin. If you like urban fantasy series with strong heroines, magical powers, and a touch of history, you'll love this absorbing paranormal read.

Read all the books in the Giftedverse!

The Owens Chronicles (Trilogy)
Prophecy
Destiny
Legacy

The Gifted Chronicles (Trilogy)
First Life
Second Chance
Third Eye

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amanda Lynn Petrin
• Release date: Jan 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781999188658

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

The light I was using to read the Chronicles in the cargo train went out once it got dark outside. Silly if you asked me, but I guess they weren’t used to people riding with the merchandise in the cargo crates. I put the book back in my bag and tried to get some sleep, but my head was spinning.

I started the summer off full of excitement, ready to get away from the house I grew up in and start a new life in college. I never expected to end it on the run for my life with Embry and Gabriel.

My heart felt like it hadn’t slowed down since Donovan found us and broke it into a million pieces. I tried not to think about Sam, my surrogate big brother, but he was the reason I wasn’t sleeping like Gifted knights in shining armor. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Sam. How I left him on the cold, hard asphalt to bleed out and be discarded somewhere, probably never to be found. How I let him die.

Letting it happen would have been bad enough, but I went one step further and caused his death. Donovan wasn’t going to kill Sam until I said no. Until I fought back, knowing that someone like Sam would pay the price.

I shook my head to get the images out, but Embry must have been watching me rather than sleeping like I thought. You should get some sleep, he told me.

I’m not tired, I lied, struggling to keep my eyes open.

You’re safe for now Lucy. We won’t let anything happen to you. He gave me a reassuring smile, but I knew he couldn’t promise that. He and Gabriel would both give their lives to protect me, but they were out of their league. Come here.

I’m not really… I tried to come up with a lie about how fine I was.

Come here, he repeated, his Italian accent more pronounced when he was tired. I crawled over to where he was sitting and leaned into him while he wrapped his arms around me. I’ve got you. He kissed the top of my head. While Gabriel had always kept his distance, at least emotionally, Embry had been a constant source of love and support.

I know, I assured him. It just wasn’t enough.

Donovan is weak right now. Every time we come back, it takes a while for our Gifts to return at full strength. Everyone who was following because of him has to be recruited all over. We can go to the plantation, get some supplies, and find somewhere safe so we can be prepared to face him when he comes back. I knew the only way he would let me fight Donovan was over his dead body, but that was still a likely scenario.

The compartment was quiet, other than Gabriel’s occasional snore. I tried to concentrate on that, but the longer we sat in the dark, the more I felt the pain and fear I was burying rise up.

What did the Chronicles say? Embry nodded to the book of stories from my ancestors, pulling me from my thoughts.

I didn’t get very far, I admitted. I think Beth is why Grams made soul cakes for Halloween, though. One of Beth’s first entries was a recipe for them. And why we jumped into the creek to celebrate the solstice, I ventured. It sounded like something she would do.

Beth had some superstitions. I could hear the smile in Embry’s voice.

She didn’t grow up at the plantation like the rest of us. Or the manor. She moved to New Orleans when she was little, and never came back. From what I gather, that kind of stuff is accepted there.

It’s definitely a place where magic feels possible, he agreed.

Says the guy who’s turning three-hundred-and-forty-seven. He and Gabriel both looked like they were in their early twenties, but I now knew that they were Gifted, and had spent the past few centuries protecting my family.

The whimsical kind of magic that amazes and amuses, but doesn’t harm or curse, Embry elaborated.

The kind that doesn’t actually exist? I fished for stories.

There has to be a balance somewhere, he argued.

I didn’t remember falling asleep, but I woke up to Embry gently shaking me.

"Wake up, bambolina," he used one of his Italian terms of endearment for me.

What’s wrong? I felt my heart racing. The darkness was gone, and the sun was shining in through the door Gabriel wrenched open, but my fear was ever-present.

Nothing’s wrong. We’re just getting off before the end of the line, Embry assured me with a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes.

What station? I asked, putting my backpack on, and slowly waking up.

We can’t wait for the station. People would see us getting off, we’d have to explain ourselves—

Then how are we getting off? One look at them told me the answer, but I was not ready to accept it.

We jump. Gabriel gave me a smile. It was his genuine, excited smile, which only made it worse.

Gabriel went first. He lowered himself until he was almost touching the grass, then used his supernatural speed to hit the ground running. I wouldn’t say that I was panicked, but it was more than Embry reassuringly touching my arms that got me to actually jump. I didn’t like Embry using his Gift to manipulate my feelings, but it was better than the alternative of him pushing me out a moving train against my will. As it was, I landed in Gabriel’s arms as softly as could be expected, with my eyes shut tight and possibly not breathing. I could feel Gabriel’s heart pounding next to mind as I tried to calm down.

I’ve got you, Gabriel whispered, no longer running. I’ll always catch you, he promised, waiting a little longer before cautiously putting me down.

That wasn’t so bad, was it? he asked without taking his arm off me until we walked a few steps with my legs holding me up, rather than buckling from the shock.

I never want to do that again, I argued. Embry had landed on the grass a dozen feet ahead of us, so I went over to make sure he was okay.

There’ll be a bruise in the morning, but I’m fine, Embry assured me, brushing a twig out of his sandy blonde hair.

Which way is home? I looked from one to the other. I couldn’t even tell you which state we were in.

This way. Embry put his arm around me and confidently steered us in the direction the train came from.

I’ll have the three-egg western omelet with sausage, bacon, and ham on the side. Whole wheat toast is fine. Hash browns, beans, and seasonal fruit would be great, with an order of pancakes and black coffee, Gabriel ordered from the diner’s waitress while I stared at him in disbelief. He was occasionally hungry enough for an egg, a piece of toast, or a bit of oatmeal, but his usual breakfast consisted of black coffee with nothing else.

I’ll have the same, but French toast instead of the pancakes, and espresso rather than coffee, Embry told the waitress, who raised her eyes to him in surprise. She probably assumed, like me, that Gabriel had ordered for the table.

I’ll just have… My stomach growled as if I hadn’t eaten in days. I looked to the guys and remembered we were starving because none of us had eaten anything but the protein bars from my backpack since before we got to the motel. Plus, they both fought in multiple battles, died, and came back to life. I’ll have pancakes with bananas and Nutella, and all the meats they’re having. I chose to forego the fruit and granola yogurt bowl for something more substantial.

Coming right up. The waitress gave us a smile before moving on to her next table. There was a man sitting alone at it with four stacks of pancakes, each with different toppings. We weren’t the first customers to order large amounts of food.

I didn’t even realize how hungry I am. I had to look away when I got the urge to stick my fork into one of the man’s pancakes and eat it.

It comes in waves, Embry explained, as his stomach made the same growl mine had.

How are we getting to Boston from here? The diner menu told me we were in Missouri, which was still a ways from home.

I saw a used car dealership down the road. Depending on how legit he is, that could be an option. Embry tried to make it sound like a fun prospect, but I had no interest in riding in a car from a shady salesman that would likely fall apart on us.

We could also hitchhike across the country if staying under the radar is more important than staying alive, I said in an optimistic way that had Embry shaking his head at me. I thought we had a breather now, which is why we’re going home. If they’re still looking for us and ready to pounce, I’m not going anywhere near my family. The guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach intensified when I mentioned Deanna and Clara, Sam’s wife, and daughter. How could I call them ‘family’ when I sacrificed Sam so the bad guys wouldn’t get me?

"I would never take you in a car that wasn’t completely safe, Tesoro, Embry assured me. But we don’t want to be obvious about where we are, or where we’re going."

Gabriel’s main focus was on the other patrons in the greasy spoon. Aside from the man with the mountains of pancakes, the diner had two other occupied tables. One with a man in a suit reading the newspaper and drinking black coffee, then another with a young family dressed like they came from church. The parents looked exhausted, while the children were as excited about their brunch as I would be for Disney World.

Can I have bananas and strawberries on my pancakes? the little boy asked.

And blueberries! his younger sister exclaimed.

You can have whatever your heart desires, the dad said, ruffling the little girl’s hair.

I got lost watching them, thinking how Sam would never be able to ruffle Clara’s hair like that again. Because of me, the only happy family I had ever known was broken.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

I was surprised when it was Gabriel who asked such a silly question, but I saw concern when I brought my attention back to our table. He’d been watching me watch the family.

Italy, I gave my standard response. Everywhere. I shrugged, my heart no longer in it. I still wanted to see the world, but home was the first place I thought of. My main problem was that home wasn’t home anymore.

I’m sure we’ll knock a few places off your list. Embry gave me a smile as the waitress showed up with three plates that all went to Gabriel. She came back multiple times to bring two plates for me, three for Embry, and some sides she left in the middle of the table.

Could we go to a library at some point? I asked, trying to swallow the ginormous bite I took.

Missing homework? Embry raised an eyebrow at me.

Research. If I only read what they wrote, I’ll never know more than they knew. I swallowed and took a piece of bacon from the plates in the middle.

I doubt any of it will be in a library, Gabriel argued.

Libraries have internet, I pointed out as the mother’s phone from the other table went off with the Imperial March. I was momentarily distracted by how cute it was that the little boy hummed along. Once she answered, it only took him a few notes to turn it into a song from Mary Poppins. And there are biblical references and Latin words I want to confirm, I came back to our conversation as if I hadn’t spaced out.

My Latin is excellent, Embry volunteered. But we can still check out a library at some point.

The conversation took a lull while we savored our meals. I had my doubts about the hole-in-the-wall diner we encountered by the train tracks, but the pancakes were big and fluffy, the bananas were perfectly ripe, and they were generous with the Nutella.

Ready to hit the road? Embry asked once our plates were mostly empty, and he finished his third espresso.

I’ll use the restroom, then I’m ready to go. I stretched as I stood, picked up my backpack with the Chronicles inside, and handed it to Embry to watch while I was gone.

We’ll get the bill, Gabriel told me, motioning the waitress over.

The washroom was better than I expected. It was old, stained, and falling apart, but you could tell that it had been cleaned recently.

I was washing my hands when the young mother from the other table walked in and headed straight for the other sink.

Is that one empty too? she asked me when her soap was empty. She held her hands out like they were covered in something gross and sticky.

Nope, it’s all yours, I told her with a smile, heading to the paper towel dispenser to dry my hands.

You’re nicer than the last one.

Something about her voice made the hairs on the back of my neck perk up.

The last what? I turned around, looked into her eyes for the first time, and knew exactly what made me uneasy. You’re one of them. She was wearing blue contacts, but they only made the darkness underneath stick out. How did you find us?

Some wounds heal, but they always leave a scar. She kept her eyes on me as she moved closer.

What do you want?

I took a step back, only there was nothing but wall behind me. Not even a window to escape from.

What I want is to get back to my grandkids and enjoy a nice Sunday brunch. Like Embry and Gabriel, she was clearly a lot older than she looked. But Donovan doesn’t believe in coincidences, so the two of us in the same room is apparently too good of an opportunity to pass up on. She sounded bitter. Everyone’s gotta have something to live for. She sighed, giving me the impression that she didn’t think too highly of the Big Bad’s quest.

What’s yours? I asked, my voice shaky. Have you done it yet? I scoured the room but didn’t see anything I could use as a weapon. Everything was either bolted down, or innocuous. I could try some of the self-defense Caleb taught me when we were hiding on the island, but this woman was almost a foot taller than me, and looked like she could be a personal trainer.

That is so cute. Worried you’ll hurt me so bad I won’t come back? she mocked me.

We can’t all be villains intent on destroying humanity. I tried to hit a nerve.

Don’t let my grandbabies fool you. I’ve killed infants with my bare hands and still sleep soundly every night.

Lucky you. I swallowed, taking one last look around. I still felt guilty for the Gifted I strangled so I could escape at the gas station. And the guy the house evaporated at the plantation, even if he was trying to kill me at the time.

Listen, we can do this the easy way, or I can carry you out in a bag. It’s up to you. She stood with her hand on her hip.

You can’t hurt me, I said with a conviction I didn’t feel. I knew my death was what they all wanted, since my heart was an ingredient in a ritual they had to perform, but I was pretty sure Donovan’s master – the real Big Bad – had to be the one to do it.

I can’t kill you, she conceded. But there are lots of ways to get you to him without taking all the life out of you.

My friends are right outside. If I scream, they’ll—

They’ll die, she said simply, with a lot more confidence than I had earlier. And I’m not sure if they’ll come back from this. She touched the sink to her left without taking her eyes off me. The stained ceramic went grey as she turned it to stone.

A chill went through my entire body. On the bright side, unless she could reverse it, turning my heart to stone meant no one could use it to complete the ritual.

I saw her take a step towards me and froze. I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t see it coming and put my hands up, as if that could protect me.

I waited for the blow, but it didn’t come. There was a gust of wind and a loud bang, then nothing but a faint ringing in my ears and tingling in my palms.

When I opened my eyes, the woman was gone.

The sink slowly turned back to white ceramic and my heart dropped into my stomach. I stood there, frozen, before looking down at my hands. They still felt tingly, but looked completely normal, without a scratch on them. I cautiously took a step forward, to see if the woman was hiding somewhere, but the sink reverting to its former self told me I wouldn’t find her. The only thing different from before I closed my eyes was a small pile of what looked like sand on the floor where the woman had stood.

Is everything okay?

What happened?

Embry and Gabriel burst into the washroom, probably expecting an explosion based on the noise. All they got was me, standing alone and in shock.

We need to get out of here, I said, snapping myself out of it. There was an explanation for what happened, I just couldn’t think of it with the ringing in my head.

Are you alone? Gabriel looked around to see what had me so frazzled.

Yes. I looked to the pile of sand that was most likely her ashes.

Embry and Gabriel were looking for answers, but I knew it was only a matter of time before the woman’s husband came to see what was going on, at which point he would either finish her mission, or call the cops on me.

I ignored their questioning looks and went to leave the washroom, relieved when Embry beat me to the door and opened it for me. I was half-expecting an army of Donovan’s men to be waiting for us, knowing what I did and ready to exact their revenge. Instead, the hallway leading to the washrooms was empty.

Let’s go this way, I suggested once I saw that Embry already had my bag on his shoulder.

I brought us to a back door that opened to a row of dumpsters. I could see the road off to my right, but every other direction had tall grass covered in dew. It would be great to hide in, but we wouldn’t get very far, at least not very fast. There was a car parked on the other side of the dumpsters, probably older than me, covered in rust, with a duct-taped plastic sheet covering one of the windows. It was falling apart, but would serve our purpose as long as we ditched it before the owner reported it stolen and the cops caught up with us. I was about to make sure one of the guys could hotwire it when I heard the unmistakable hissing of a large bus using its brakes. Do you have cash? I asked instead, hurrying towards the road. There was a guy my age walking around the front of a